Plague Master
Nostradamus, Nostra for short and better known as the Plague Master, is the main antagonist of the Dark Woods series. He first appeared in the first installation of the game as a regular boss, and in its sequel; Dark Woods II: New Woods it was revealed he was the true main antagonist. he reformed by the time of Dark Woods IV: Descend. Story Before Dark Woods ''See: Snowy Woods '' Nostra was born as an Adam in the realm of Eden as a direct descendant of of Adam himself. He is the great grandson of Adam and his blood still runs through his veins. However he was not the next in line for ruler, Pan was. While Pan was the great grandson of Adam and Eve, Nostra was the great grandson of Adam and Lilith, something to actually be despised of. For centuries his family has been the black sheep in Eden. Nonetheless Nostra and Pan became good friends with each other. Another good friend of them was Lamia. The three of them became very good friends. One night the King of Eden, Pan's father, flirted and sexually harassed Lamia and took her virginity along with it. Instead of the King receiving punishment, Lamia got punished by the jealous Queen of Eden. She took away her uterus so she wouldn't be able to make children. Nostra became furious and wanted to avenge her. Lamia gave Nostra her eyes which activated his Nocturnal powers that came from his Lilith blood. He grew raven wings and killed both the King and the Queen with his newly attained power. Pan didn't grieve for his parents as he knew they were wrong. Nostra suggested that Pan should rule the new Eden that was renamed to Dark Woods. The first thing on the list was attaining more power and wipe out everyone in Eden. Nostra developed a new kind of magic named the Black Death which he gave a physical form as Rosie and Posie. With them he infected everyone in Eden and slowly let them die. Nostra traveled to the library to uncover some secrets about their origin. He read that to awaken the powers of the Stars he needed to gather 12 Zodiac that had to be fused with an Adam, Eve or Lilith and afterwards killed by someone to let the power flow into him. He made Pan gather those those from another realm. Which would work out for Lamia to finally have children. As they were doing so Nostra continued his studies. Dark Woods Nostra had disguised himself as The Plague Master just like Pan and Lamia had disguised themselves. Nostra continued his studies and experiments in the church of the ruined village. While here he is busy with trying to summon the Zodiac Children until he is interrupted by Hein who comes to get the Holy Water from the church. The two engage in combat. Because of Nostra's vulnerable state he switches locations and conducts his experiments elsewhere. He appears in the after-credits scene where he is talking Lamia about that he created a new Dark Woods, as the other part has become Eden again. He continues by saying that the children are almost ready and requests Lamia to scatter the 'humans' all over the realm. Dark Woods II: New Woods The Plague Master returns this time as the main antagonist of the game. Despite being the main antagonist, he only appears in a few scenes throughout the game. At the beginning of the game he summons all the Starchildren successfully. He goes over the details of his plan and why the Starchildren should work with him, as he even got vessel prepared for them. They all agree and are send to different parts of the woods. Plague Master then sits still in his Zodiac circle waiting for all the bodies of the Starchildren. He has several cutscenes throughout the game where is conversing with Lamia about the progress of the plan. Eventually Hein, Lily and Rai manage to defeat all the Starchildren and save the 'freaks' unbeknownst to them that it was all part of his plan. Because he now had all the bodies of the Starchildren he had achieved the Nova powers. He quickly restored the uterus of Lamia and impregnated her. Unfortunately for him Hein, and the others, came to stop him. Plague Master opened up the true Dark Woods for them which allowed them to approach him, as he could easily take them on with the newly required Nova powers. In the first battle he used Rosie and Posie who were defeating in midst of the battle. Plague Master decided to give up some of his plague powers to manifest Rosie and Posie into a humanoid form as revealed in Dark Woods III. He then undid his plague doctor costume and revealed his true appearance. An intense battle was fought, but Hein got the upper hand because of Nostra's lack of training with the Nova powers. Hein slashed him in half and killed him. Dark Woods: Hollow Remnants In Dark Woods: Hollow Remnants Plague Master continues to haunt Hein in his dreams about how he killed him and that such an act never can be restored. He brought guilt to him by telling he left a woman and her daughter behind alone and continued to do this throughout the events of Hollow Remnants. Dark Woods III: The Plague Returns Throughout the course of Dark Woods III, Nostradamus is mentioned quite a few times by his daughter Ashley, Rosie and Posie and the main protagonists. Before the events of Dark Woods III, Ashley was approached by Ektaz who requested her to bring her father back to life, the true ruler of the realm, to end the dispute between Ektaz and The Threat about to whom the Dark Woods realm belong. Ashley agreed to do this and so Ektaz created Atra and Mors who were composed of the lingering will from Nostradamus in the realm. Eventually Ashley manages to revive her father. Atra and Mors return to their original body, Nostradamus, and Rosie and Posie return to their entity form, to let Nostradamus return to his full strength. Now with better control over the Nova element he seems like an unstoppable being, being on a rank best compared to deities. He takes refuge in the church where he first encounters Hein along with Rosie and Posie. There he has the final battle with Hein which ends in a draw. Nostradamus doesn't understand Hein's reason to fight, but Hein explains that the Dark Woods is in a bad state. Nostra laughs and says it always has been, only that its appearance reflects how it is now. He continues by telling that he lost the love of his life, his best friend, and that he isn't going to lose his daughter. He creates a giant rift which sucks Hein, Lily, Rai, Ligeia and Slime through a portal back to their own dimension. Nostradamus then embraces Ashley and as the screen fades to black a voice is heard saying: "Time to talk about our deal, Nostradamus." Dark Woods IV: Descend Plague Master returns for the fourth installment in the series. For the first time in the series he isn't the true antagonist. Taking place quite some years after the events of Dark Woods III, Nostradamus has aged a lot. He has changed his wardrobe and got a hunchback. The gang first encounters him at the circus tent where it is revealed he uses all his energy to hold up a barrier to keep the remaining residents of the Dark Woods safe. He seeked out the help of Hein and the others because they needed a group of powerful people to stop The Threat. She and The Enemy have engaged in a war over the custody of the Dark Woods at is lays inbetween the two realms. Nostradamus said he had agreed to the deal and that he would do everything to keep the Dark Woods theirs, but unfortunately The Threat send in Eight, one of her minions, to stop them although she has been rather innactive. Hein accepts to help them and beings his quest as Nostradamus stays back to protect everyone. He appears several times again in the story as a supporting character one can talk with. When one is stuck in the game they can always go to Nostradamus for tips on how to continue. He gets somewhat more involved with the plot of the undead Pan who had returned to the surface. Seeing how he has become closes a door for him and realizes that his best friend is no more, despite the efforts of Ashley and Hein to cure Pan. Nostradamus slays Pan in cold blood. Near the end of the game, Isis has gathered almost all the energy she required to go into her Final Form, as Eight has planned. She flies to the circus tent where she first kills Slime and then goes after Nostradamus. She possesses his body but is unable to take his complete soul. Instead the two fuse together, Isis having the upper hand, and transforms into Plague Master Isis. The gang fights and defeat Isis, pushing her out of Plague Master's body. She however took enough of his powers to transform into her final form. Because his immortality was taken, Plague Master reversed back into his younger self for some reason. He tried to keep the portal open after Isis was defeated and when the others went to go and defeat Eight, but unfortunately couldn't keep it open for Hein. At the end of the game he thanks Hein and the others, and gets praised by The Enemy. He passes on his deity status to the one who truly deserves that spot, Isis. He promises to make the Dark Woods a better place for him and Ashley to leave. And with the Dark Woods and the New Fantendoverse fully connected he makes sure he'll visit the other side occasionally. Personality In the past Nostradamus was always a hated child by the adults in Eden, purely because he was a descendant of Lilith. But despite that he always stayed positive and tried to make the best of it although he knew all to well what the people thought of him. He wanted to prove that he wasn't like Lilith. Luckily he could get along very well with the children in Eden. It was after the accident that his personality changed. Nostra thought he had been in the wrong, having become just like the people feared, just like Lilith. But he concluded that Lilith wasn't the wrong one but Eve was. She had driven her out purely because of jealousy as he theorized. He became more cold and uninterested in the things happening around him. He now only sought power, the power of the Stars, Nova, to be precise. He still wants to protect his friends Pan and Lamia and cares deeply for them. He didn't seem to mourn when Pan was died but did it in his own way by trying to accomplish his plan, for Pan. He speaks very wisely and in a low pitched voice. He always knows how to respond to things and often tends to be very sarcastic when people talk nonsense. Powers & Abilities Nostradamus has a wide variety of powers and abilities. The first power he acquires is the Nocturnal energy from Lilith, activated when Lamia gives her eyes to him. Because he is a direct descendant he is more powerful than other Nocturnals. His Nocturnal energy is pitch black as opposed to the usual purple. He also immediately is able to fly with the Raven wings he gets. The wings not only let him fly but also lets him shoot razor sharp feathers out of it. The last power he immediately gains is the one to teleport away. He will coat himself and transform into multiple ravens that then fly away, similar to other popular characters like Itachi and Maleficent. The second power he acquires is the power of the Black Death that he gained from an unknown source, or possibly just developed. He can attack with poison related magic to decay and contaminate things. He made an society killing spell The Black Death which he manifested as two little girls Rosie and Posie. He can summon these again after they die and contain most of his poison related powers. Lastly is the strongest power he acquires through collecting all the Zodiac spirits. This is the power of the stars which is called Nova Energy. It is a spacial magic fused with a fire magic. He can throw Mercury rings, create asteroids and of course a giant supernova that explodes on his command. Relationships Hein It can easily be said that Plague Master and Hein are each others nemesis. They have in a constant battle since the first time they met, and have been on equal power. Hein beat him the first time while Plague Master won the second time. Though they are enemies Plague Master does admire Hein's strength and bravery, but still sees him as an ignorant peasant. Lamia The great love of Plague Master's life is Lamia, at first they were the best childhood friends. However along the way they grew a mutual feeling to each other, although they didn't show much of it at first. The whole plot of the first two games also rely on their love as Plague Master wants to bring back her uturus to fulfill her wish, in which he succeeds. When Lamia discovered Plague Master was dead she was heartbroken, this was the same when Plague Master was revived but Lamia wasn't around anymore. He even said that he basically returned in a world where he didn't have any friends at all. Pan Plague Master and Pan were best buds and would spend most of their time together. Pan was very accepting of Nostradamus despite him being a Lilith while he is an Adam. They were often looked down upon and bullied by others because they were friends, especially Nostradamus. Pan always defended Nostra from bullies, making their friendship stronger. They both felt something for Lamia at some point, but Pan said he could have her. Nostra tried to repay the favor by making Pan the ruler over the dimension. Ashley Ashley is the daughter of Plague Master and Lamia. He wasn't around for her birth as he sacrificed his life so she could be born in the first place. Ashley always adored her father and wanted to meet him because of his strength. Plague Master has trouble with Ashley at first because he missed a large part of her life, but treasures her deeply not only because she is his daughter, but also because she is the last thing Lamia left behind of her when she died. He tries to build a stable relationship with his daughter. In the fourth game it is clear that Ashley grew up and picked up the more calmed behavior of her father. Ligeia Because Ligeia is the daughter of Petia who is Nostradamus' sister makes Ligeia the niece of Nostradmus. After Ligeia realized that this was the case and told this to Nostradamus, the two felt some kind of connection between each other. They have shared memories about Petia and formed a bond. Although Ligeia initially hated Nostradamus for his actions, the memories of her mother made her feel more compassion towards Nostradamus, making her the first one to forgive him for his actions. Rosie & Posie Their origins still remain unknown, with the only one knowing their origin being Nostradamus. He likely created the two with his own abilities, a summoning but there are also rumors that they are originated in the Dark Woods themselves. They refer Plague Master as their 'master' and have a deep respect and loyalty towards him. Atra & Mors Even though they never met, Atra and Mors are a big part of Nostradamus. They represent his will and his essence. While Mors inherits the will of Plague Master, Atra inherits the essence of him. These two components were still lingering in the Dark Woods after Plague Master died. The Enemy gave them a humanoid form but they would return to Nostradamus immediately. The old will and essence of Nostradamus however fades over the years duo to changing his mindset causing Atra and Mors to regenerate again by The Threat this time. Unlike the first time Atra and Mors seek no desire into wanting to be reunited with Nostradamus again and have a wish to be their own person. The Enemy The exact relationship between Plague Master and The Enemy remains relatively unknown, but they seem to be on good terms. Although they are both using each other they respect each other and see themselves more as business partners rather than real friends or anything like that. Gallery Plague Doctor.png|Profile art of Plague Master PlagueMasterRose+Posie.png|Plague Master in Dark Woods Nostradamus.png|Nostradamus' true appearance in Dark Woods II: New Woods PlagueMasterArt2.png|Plague Master in Dark Woods III: The Plague Returns NostradamusElder.png|Plague Master as he appears in Dark Woods IV: Descend PlagueMasterIsis.png|Plauge Master possessed by Isis in Dark Woods IV: Descend PlagueMasterPostIV.png|Plague Master in Dark Woods IV: Descend after his possession PlagueMasterSurvivalDefault.png|Plague Master in Dark Woods: Survival PlagueMasterSurvivalAlt.png|Plague Master's Black Death outfit in Dark Woods: Survival PlagueMasterShattered.png|As he appears in Fantendo Smash Bros. Shattered. PlagueMasterPaletteSwaps.png|Palette Swaps in Shattered Plague Master Hyper.png|Hyper Mode Plague_Master_render.png|Old art Plaguemastersketch ziegs.png|Plague Master by FO Art PlagueM.png|Plague Master as portrayed in Double Deck/Face Off! Category:Dark Woods Category:Dark Woods Characters Category:Original Characters Category:Main Antagonists Category:Antagonists Category:Hyper Mode Category:Dark Heart Games Category:What is the New Fantendoverse? Category:Free to use Characters Category:Reformed Characters